Pelé once again reigned supreme. His coffin, draped in the Brazilian flag and that of his FC Santos, lay on the roof of a fire truck, cadets from the Military Police Academy kept guard of honor next to it – and on the streets below they celebrated their hero. Thousands of fans accompanied “O Rei”, the king of football, on his last few meters through Santos. With a moving funeral procession, Brazil finally said goodbye to Pelé on Tuesday, time and time again it was hardly moving forward, all the church bells in Santos rang in honor of what is probably the greatest footballer in history. On the beach, fans drew a huge heart in the sand that read, “Pele, you will be forever.”
Only Edson Arantes do Nascimento, his real name, became world champion three times. “There is no one comparable to Pelé,” said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. And despite all the fame, he always remained “humble”: “I hope he plays football again in heaven.”
After the procession, which also passed the house where his 100-year-old mother lives, Pelé was buried in a small family circle.
More than 230,000 fans and companions paid their last respects to Pelé at the public wake – and passed the coffin. So does President Lula. The politician, flown in by helicopter, said goodbye on Tuesday morning and paid “his respect and appreciation”.
Lula, who took office Sunday with a ceremony that began with a minute’s silence for Pele, paused in front of the coffin, hugged widow Marcia Cibele Aoki and other family members, and said a prayer.
His friend, the ball: a passer-by in Santos in front of a portrait of Pelé.
(Photo: Carl de Souza/AFP)
Pelé’s embalmed body was laid out in the stadium of his former club FC Santos for 24 hours, with the queue sometimes stretching for kilometers. The coffin was then sealed at 10:04 a.m. local time to applause from family and friends, leaving the widow in tears. Nobody was there from the current Selecao around superstar Neymar, but most of the professionals also play in Europe. But also greats like Ronaldo, Romario, Cafu or Kaka did not appear at the ceremony, from the last two world champion teams only Mauro Silva was present – this caused quite a surprise and criticism in Brazil.
Gianni Infantino, the Fifa President, had traveled to Santos to say goodbye, but the 52-year-old once again lacked the right feeling at that moment. The powerful and controversial official was photographed just a few meters from the coffin, smiling and taking a selfie with Pelé’s companions, quite irreverently. He wanted to “appeal to all football associations in the world to name at least one stadium in the country after Pele. The youth, the coming generations should know and remember who Pele was and what joy he gave the world,” Infantino said Visit explained.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) condoles Pelé’s son Edinho and widow Marcia Cibele Aoki.
(Photo: Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)
Pelé’s son Edinho wrote on Instagram in the early hours of the morning: “We’re taking the king home.” The memory of Pelé, who sold peanuts on the street as a young boy to make ends meet for his family, was previously honored with a three-day national mourning.
Pele, who became world champion in 1958, 1962 and 1970, died on December 29 of complications from cancer.